What is the meaning of Deuteronomy 32:25?

Outside, the sword will take their children

Moses is warning that God will allow invading armies to strike Israel in open country.

• “Outside” pictures fields, roads, and vineyards where daily life unfolds. From a literal standpoint, no place under the sun will feel safe (cf. Deuteronomy 28:25; 1 Samuel 31:1).

• “The sword” speaks of real weapons in real hands—foreign soldiers empowered by God’s judgment (2 Chronicles 36:17; Isaiah 13:15).

• “Their children” highlights how even the most cherished and defenseless will suffer. The calamity will be so sweeping that age offers no exemption (Jeremiah 9:21).

Taken together, the line promises visible, historical consequences for national unfaithfulness, just as Leviticus 26:17 had already warned.

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and inside, terror will strike the young man and the young woman

If danger lurks outside, dread reigns inside city walls and homes.

• “Inside” points to streets, houses, and fortified towns once presumed secure (Deuteronomy 28:52).

• “Terror” signals panic that unravels courage—an inward affliction sent by God (Leviticus 26:36; Psalm 53:5).

• The “young man and the young woman,” society’s strongest, cannot fend it off. Even vigor and vitality are useless when the Lord withdraws protection (Jeremiah 6:25; Lamentations 1:15).

God’s judgment penetrates public and private spaces alike, leaving no refuge apart from repentance.

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the infant and the gray-haired man

The verse closes by stretching judgment across the entire lifespan.

• “Infant” underscores helpless beginnings; “gray-haired man” speaks of honored elders (2 Chronicles 36:17; Lamentations 2:21).

• The pairing portrays totality: from cradle to cane, all feel the weight of covenant violation (Ezekiel 9:6).

• Such breadth fulfills the covenant curses announced earlier (Deuteronomy 28:62–63) and anticipates later historical sieges in 722 BC and 586 BC.

There is no partial, selective discipline here; it is comprehensive, underscoring the seriousness of forsaking the Lord.

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summary

Deuteronomy 32:25 delivers a sober, literal promise: unrepentant Israel will meet devastating warfare outside and consuming fear inside, sweeping away every age group. The verse underscores God’s faithfulness to His covenant warnings—He protects obedience and judges rebellion. Yet even this dark prophecy invites hearts to turn back to Him, the only true refuge from sword, terror, and ultimate loss.